As information about a large oil spill last Wednesday at a Shell platform 112 miles east of Aberdeen continues to emerge, Brighton's Green MP says:

 "That the details of the oil spill at Shell's Gannet Alpha platform in the North Sea have been so slow to reach the public domain suggests an alarming culture of secrecy at the company - and a blatant disregard for its environmental responsibilities.

"It is astonishing that, in light of this incident and the Deepwater Horizon disaster last year, the UK Government is still refusing to stop oil companies deepwater drilling in the North Sea, at last until lessons have been learned and the necessary action taken to prevent future spills.

"This recent incident - reportedly the largest in UK waters for ten years - comes just weeks after Shell was finally forced to admit liability for two huge spills in Nigeria that have devastated local communities and habitats.

"It's clear that companies such as Shell, which can't even drill in the relatively stable waters of the North Sea without a major incident, must be reigned in under a far stronger regulatory regime - and banned from exploratory drilling in the fragile Arctic region."

ENDS